AuthorTeam MM

While there is still a lot of work to do if we’re to break the stigma around the menopause, it’s good to remember just how far we’ve come. We explored how the menopause was viewed in times past and what the word ‘menopause’ actually means.

Ever wonder why HRT is so controversial? Following the Women’s Health Initiative study in 2002, which showed risks of cancer, heart disease, and stroke for women, prescriptions for HRT fell by nearly 80%.

Nowadays with easy internet access and the plethora of information we find online, we can end up being literally overwhelmed with knowledge. But what about topics like menopause, cancer and Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT)? Do we really know what is available or have the ability to understand what the choices are?

I wrote the piece below as a result of my own experience of ageing and the menopause. I started the menopause relatively young at 46 and although it came with its challenges, I also gradually came to see how it also came with many more gifts. Since my menopause I have found that I am more comfortable in my own skin; I no longer feel the need for external validation and feel sensual rather than sexy.

I am 50 years old and a solicitor partner in a small legal aid practice specialising in social welfare law, specifically housing. I had IVF treatment years ago and it was not successful so I have no children. I carry a lot of sadness about being childless so as you can imagine the concept of menopause emphasises that feeling.

I had a very similar experience to Meg’s in that four years ago I started having very strange symptoms that I put down to the menopause but just got shooed out of my doctor’s surgery as a bit of a hypochondriac.

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MEG’S TIP OF THE WEEK

“Ladies, the reality is that some days are just not going to be that great. The best thing you can do on those days is to go with the flow. If you need to have a duvet day, have a duvet day! Take some time out for yourself and try not to feel guilty about it.”